Full Description
Neighbourhood Houses draws on a five-year study to document and contextualize the neighbourhood house movement in Vancouver. Social disconnection has led many observers to declare that urban communities are weakening and fragmenting. Nonetheless, the local community is where most aspects of everyday life occur, where people establish their homes and pursue their ambitions. It offers a secure haven in an unpredictable, globalized world. Neighbourhood houses are community hubs providing services such as public recreation, child care, health care, and adult literacy classes, bringing urban newcomers and neighbours together. Contributors to this book outline the history of the Vancouver network, its relationship with local government and other organizations in the region, the programs and activities offered, and the experiences of participants. While globalization and migration create fragmented and disconnected societies in modern urban cities, this timely study demonstrates that place-based community organizations can provide an antidote.
Contents
Introduction / Sean Lauer and Miu Chung Yan
1 History of Vancouver Neighbourhood Houses and Beyond / Sean Lauer, Miu Chung Yan, and Eleanor Stebner
2 The Eyes and Ears of the Community: Engaging Citizens and Community Advocacy / Oliver Schmidtke
3 Mechanism of Connection: Accessibility and Beyond / Miu Chung Yan
4 Social Infrastructure for Building Community / Sean Lauer
5 Trajectories of Life and Belonging in the Neighbourhood Houses of Metro Vancouver / Pilar Riaño-Alcalá and Erika Ono
6 From Immigrant to Citizen: Life Stories of Transformation / Jenny Francis
7 Limitations and Potentials of Neighbourhood House in Community-Building / Miu Chung Yan and Sean Lauer
Appendix 1: Technical Notes
Appendix 2: Neighbourhood Houses in Metro Vancouver
Contributors; Index
